Cotati incumbents, Measure U leading

November 6, 2012, 9:31PM

11/06/2012

Cotati voters were supporting two City Council incumbents for re-election late Tuesday as well as a first-time council candidate backed by the city's political establishment.

But in a surprising political turn, 60 percent of voters also were supporting Measure U, a citizen initiative to ban roundabouts forever inside city limits.

If that result holds, it would be a major rebuff to a plan pushed for a year by the council and its city manager, who want to redesign Cotati's downtown with installing two roundabouts.

"The City Council failed to do their job and the voters have stepped up and done it for themselves," said Greg Karraker, a Measure U campaign leader.

Mayor Susan Harvey had opposed the initiative. "We'll just have to deal with that; it really causes us some setbacks," she said.

Harvey, Councilman John Dell'Osso and Planning Commissioner Wendy Skillman — all three opposed Measure U — led five candidates fighting for three seats; each had more than 25 percent of the vote with absentee votes counted but none of the city's three precincts reporting.

"I'm just very excited. We worked really hard and I talked to as many voters as I could," Skillman said.

George Barich, recalled from the council in 2009, trailed with 19 percent.